Resources
At New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence we offer all of our services at no cost. We believe that everyone should have access to gun violence prevention efforts. If your community or school would like to implement our programs or are in need of free gunlocks, please reach out to us at info@newmexicanstopreventgunviolence.org
Free gun dismantling
In addition to our gun buybacks, we can also dismantle unwanted firearms. Click here for more information.
Work with Youth
Gun violence is having devastating consequences on New Mexico’s children and teens. Its effects on the lives of our youth are a complex and multi-faceted problem. Gun violence exposes not only social inequities, but also a deeply embedded racism that permeates our state and country. Many of New Mexico’s youth witness and experience gun violence on a regular basis-in their homes, in the street of their neighborhoods and/or in their schools. They live in constant fear of getting shot. Their fear is real, as is the heartache and the confusion as to why adults do little to keep them safe.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence began working with youth in our first year. We believe that our youth are one of the most, if not THE most, important voice when it comes to gun violence prevention. We discovered very early on that there was a profound need for our youth to have a creative space in which they could communicate their thoughts and emotions about the issue of gun violence and how it affects them as well as ways that they can stay safe. We have three youth programs that we facilitate in schools, gang intervention programs, teen rehabs and teen centers.
Gun Violence prevention Workshops
The workshop takes a holistic approach in addressing gun violence in the lives of our young people. It gives our youth the opportunity to explore the root causes of gun violence as well as the impact gun violence has had on their lives. Our intention is to create a space where youth can reflect how gun violence affects their lives and discover tools to minimize its negative impact and keep them safe from harm. We start the workshop by facilitating exercises designed to initiate a discussion and explore ways in which youth can reverse this trajectory of gun violence. The exercises and discussions empower our youth to become agents of change as they develop solutions to end gun violence in the communities in which they live. The program also gives participants the opportunity to explore the impact of gun violence through art projects that are then displayed in their school community to raise awareness about the issue. The workshops include, guest speakers, films, art projects and facilitated discussion. Click here for a full description of the workshop and survey results.
Extreme Risk Protection order (ERPO) trainings
In 2020, NMPGV helped to pass an ERPO law. An ERPO prohibits a person (the respondent) from having custody or control of any firearm and prohibits the person from purchasing, receiving, or attempting to purchase, possess or receive any firearm while the order is in effect. A respondent who receives a temporary or one-year extreme risk firearm protection order is required to turn in all firearms in the respondent’s possession, custody, or control in a safe manner to a law enforcement officer, a law enforcement agency, or a federal firearms licensee within forty-eight hours of service of the order or sooner at the discretion of the court.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence trains agencies and individuals on the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO). To date, we have trained over five hundred people in law enforcement, mental health professionals and domestic violence advocates. ERPOs empower families and law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from the possession of someone believed to be at risk of harming themselves or others. The training aims to increase awareness of the law, it’s distinction from a domestic violence order of protection, how it is implemented, and the potential benefits of using ERPO. Click here to our website for more information.
NMPGV is working to make our state and country safer by strengthening laws that seek to prevent gun violence.